Personal Safety Tips

Office Safety

• Do not leave valuable items on your desk unattended. Keep it with you or hide it in a locked desk drawer or cabinet.
• Never give telephone numbers or addresses of fellow employees to anyone without their permission
• Use discretion in revealing your own personal plans to people at work.
• Be suspicious of unannounced or unexpected persons claiming to be repair or service people. Ask for their company ID and call the company for verification of repair/service.

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Vehicle Safety

• Park in well-lighted areas so you can see your car and its surroundings from as far away as possible.
• Have your car keys ready before you approach the car so you do not make yourself vulnerable while searching for the right key.
• Glance into the back seat and floorboards of your car before you enter, checking for anyone who may be hiding inside.
• Always lock all doors whether you are in or out of your vehicle. Keep the windows rolled up enough so that an arm cannot be inserted through the window opening.
• Try not to keep valuable items in your vehicle. If you must, please make sure to place these items out of sight.
• If you are bumped from behind by another vehicle, do not immediately exit your vehicle. Assess the situation. If you feel uneasy, remain in your vehicle until the police arrive. If the other party leaves the scene, try to note the vehicle description and license plate number, but do not follow the vehicle.
• When stopped in traffic, leave some distance between your car and the car in front of you. If someone approaches you, honk your horn and leave the situation, if possible.
• If someone threatens you with a weapon, give up your vehicle immediately. Do not fight or argue. Your life is more important than your car.
• If your car breaks down, raise the hood to signal for help. If possible, remain inside your vehicle. If someone stops to assist you, have him or her call for help. Do not allow them inside your vehicle, and do not accept a ride from them.

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Personal Awareness

• Walk purposefully. Communicate the message that you are calm, confident, know where you are going, and know what is going on around you. Stand tall, and make quick, but deliberate eye contact with the people around you.
• Avoid walking alone and if possible stay away from poorly lit areas. Avoid short cuts through isolated or deserted areas. You can always contact Campus Security to request a safety escort at (360) 442-2911.
• Try not to carry a purse, but if you must, carry it securely under your arm. Avoid wrapping the purse strap around your arm. Do not enter a tug-of-war if a thief grabs your purse. You could be seriously injured!
• Avoid displaying large amounts of cash or other tempting targets such as well-known or obviously expensive jewelry.
• Avoid street solicitors trying to sell you something at a bargain price. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
• Listen Up! - Wearing ear-phones or talking on your cell phone while walking across campus, may reduce your awareness of things or persons around you. Drop the cell phone, turn off the iPod and enjoy your walk while listening to what is around you.
• Make Some Noise - Always carry a whistle or other sound making device. If you sense danger or find yourself in trouble you can yell, scream and use your noise maker to signal for help.
• Look, See, Move - If you sense danger, quickly move away from the threat; cross the street if possible, increase your pace, join a group of people nearby if you can or find an area where you can secure yourself and call for help.
• Be Aware! - Stay alert and use good judgment so you can avoid becoming an easy target. Trust your instincts, they are usually correct.

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Safety At Home

• Lock your doors and windows when you are home. Too often, criminals get into residences through unlocked doors and windows.
• If your residence has a peep hole, use it. A peephole with a 180-degree viewing angle is best for you to use to verify who is on the other side of the door. Never open the door to someone you do not know.
• Always acknowledge a caller at your door, but do not open it. Call to the person through the locked door to determine who they are and what they want. In some instances, burglars ring the doorbell, and if there is no answer, they break in. You do not want that type of surprise company.
• If an intruder confronts you inside your residence, attempt to remain calm. Only you will be able to determine your best course of action. Be aware that there is a potential for violence in this type of situation.

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Social Media Safety

• Limit the amount of personal information you post online - Do not post information that makes you vulnerable, including your address or information about your schedule. Also be sure that your friends do not post information about you that you are not comfortable with or could impair your safety in any way. If you wouldn't post it, they shouldn't.
• Remember, the Internet is a public resource - Only post information and photos that you are comfortable with anyone seeing.
• Be cautious of strangers - The Internet makes it easy for anyone to misrepresent their identities and motives.
• Evaluate your account settings - Take advantage of a social media site's privacy settings to guard yourself. The default settings for most social network sites generally allow anyone to see your profile—including Google. Fortunately you can customize your settings to restrict access to certain people or groups of people you are more familiar with.
• Check privacy policies - Some social media sites share information such as email addresses or user preferences with third-party companies. In most cases you can set your account to block such sharing, however in some cases this is not an option and comes as a cost of using certain social media networks. As an emerging market, social media sites may change their privacy policies more frequently—often resetting your preferences, so stay aware of these changes to maintain optimum privacy. If you are uncomfortable with these policies, some sites offer a way to suspend or terminate your profile.

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Clock Message Displays

What to do?

In the event there is a change in status to the normal operations of the college, the following messages will be displayed on the digital clocks you will find throughout campus:

Active Shooter - Run Hide Fight

Run, Hide, Fight protocol activated. Flee from campus! If unable to flee then find a place to hide, turn off lights, silence cell phones and lock and barricade door. If necessary, fight with the intruder using any and all means available. For more information see Active Threat.

Lockdown

Lock all exterior and interior doors. Shut off lights and get away from the door. Do not open doors for anyone until given the signal to do so. The signal will come from a college official or law enforcement personnel.

Evacuate

Please follow evacuation procedures and congregate at previously approved areas. See included building specific assembly areas.

Shelter in Place

The outside environment has become hazardous. Remain in your buildings. Do not venture outside until given the signal to do so. The signal will come from a college official and/or local emergency responders. Be sure to listen to the radio and watch social media for updates.

All Clear – Resume Normal Activities

This message will be displayed when it is safe to resume normal operations.

• In the event of a drill the same messages will be displayed with the additional message “This is a drill”